North 1st Floor Slab
and 19 October 02 Update
 

The concrete floor slab for the first floor of the north house is poured directly on  the ground.  This dirt sub-floor is carefully prepared.  It is leveled, smoothed, watered and compacted.

Because the floor is several inches above the original ground level, extra dirt must be brought in.  When the footings were dug eight months ago, we saved the excavated dirt for this purpose.


Electrical conduit and water pipes are laid directly on the ground and then covered by the brought in dirt.

Getting this floor slab level is a bit more difficult than with the second floor as we saw a few weeks ago.  Here Manolo and Iniz are using a water  level to establish a leveling datum line that runs throughout the house.  The water level is simply a long piece of clear plastic tubing  filled with water.

Jose and Rúbin are using the datum line to set the height of a grid of spikes (highlighted) in the dirt sub-floor to mark the top of the concrete.

Manolo and Jose man the mixer while Rúbin and Enrique take turns on the wheel barrel. 

Enrique dumps a load of concrete for Iniz to spread, level to the top of the spikes, and smooth.  It took these five guys a full day to pour the slab.  Later the family of this house came to write their names in the fresh concrete.

After the floor was poured, Iniz was able to return to stucco on the lower level of the south house.

We also completed the stairs to the roof and began moving the roof slab forms to the north house for that roof.

PROJECT COST SUMMARY TO DATE
in US dollars converted from Mexican pesos at 9:1
 

North Roof

Material

$ 1,674

Labor

278

$1,952

Electrical 

These five items are (will be) material only, Labor will be provided by the family and me.

Plumbing 

Iron Work

Tile

Paint

Social Security payments

Air Conditioning

Cabinetry 

Plaster

Stucco

Previous Phases:

South Roof & Stairs & North 1st Floor Slab

North 2nd Floor Shell

North 2nd Floor Slab

South 2nd Floor Shell

4,759

South 2nd Floor Slab

South 1st Floor Shell

The cost of the form lumber has not been included because it has con-siderable re-sale value.  Its net cost will be included later.

North 1st Floor Shell

Property Walls

Property Purchase

$ 79,478

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